[youtube id=”-yE0RnuaWE0″] Living Colour just released their sixth studio album Shade. They made an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers and performed “Come On.” It is their first full-length album in eight years. Last year they released a cover of Biggie Smalls’ “Who Shot Ya” with a host of remixes. Reid states on the band’s website that,

“Shade is the sound of a band coming to terms with its shadows and light, From the blue pulpit of Robert Johnson to the mean red streets of Brooklyn to the golden lure of Hollywood, Shade is the next chapter of a unique American journey.”

Living Colour is currently on a tour of the United States.

Living Colour, Melissa Etheridge, Allen Stone, Sarah Dash and more will pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at Carnegie Hall on March 6th. Michael Dorf is the organizer of The Music Of Aretha Franklin and the proceeds will go towards music education for underprivileged youth. Dorf has organized previous tributes to Prince, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie and Bill Withers. He is also a founder of City Winery and the Knitting Factory. Brooklyn Afrobeat band Antibalas will be the house band for the Franklin tribute. Tickets for concert can be purchased at the event site.

Living Colour’s cover of Prince’s “17 Days” was the b-side to their 1993 singles “Ausländer” and “Leave It Alone.”  Their transformation of “17 Days” into metal still had an adequate amount of funk and Corey Glover’s soulful voice made sound almost like something Prince himself would record. Living Colour’s appreciation for Prince was mutual and he invited them to a jam session at Paisley Park. Vernon Reid spoke with NPR shortly after Prince’s passing and commented on his multi-genre and multi-gendered influence on music. Living Colour just released their police brutality-inspired Who Shot Ya? EP.

[youtube id=”9Cp1NbyWYwQ”] Living Colour delivers a straightforward video for their interpretation of Biggie Smalls’s “Who Shot Ya.” The band plays for the camera as the names and photos of gun violence victims flash on the screen. The images of police officers and statistics for gun-related deaths are also part of the presentation. Who Shot Ya, the album, is out now.